Ivorian poll officially postponed

Ivorian leaders including President Laurent Gbagbo met in Burkina Faso

Ivory Coast's leaders have officially agreed to postpone presidential elections, citing delays in voter registration and security concerns.

The elections, which had been due on 30 November, are seen as a crucial step in the country's peace process.

The polls have been repeatedly put back since President Laurant Gbagbo's term expired three years ago.

Mr Gbagbo and former rebel leader Guillaume Soro agreed to the delay at a meeting in Burkina Faso.

Former President Henri Konan Bedie and northern opposition leader Alassane Ouattara were also party to the agreement.

The country's political parties said they had instructed the electoral commission to submit a new timetable for the vote by the end of the year.

Burkina Faso's President Blaise Compaore said the key issue was voter registration, adding that he hoped this would be completed before the start of 2009.

Around nine million voters are supposed to go through the identification process.

The conflict in Ivory Coast, the world's top cocoa producer, began six years ago when rebels seized the north of the country.

The question of citizenship and the right to vote has been at the heart of the crisis.

Many Muslim northerners complain of discrimination, while southerners say citizens of Mali and Burkina Faso are trying to gain Ivorian nationality.

A peace deal in March 2007 reunited Ivory Coast and made Mr Soro prime minister in a power-sharing government with Mr Gbagbo.